Method and system for searching for travel itineraries with flexible travel dates
First Claim
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1. A method of identifying a plurality of alternate travel itineraries, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving a set of flexible travel requirements;
determining all pairs of departure and return dates that satisfy the flexible travel requirements;
identifying and displaying fares for itineraries corresponding to each of the departure and return date pairs.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a system and methods for searching for and displaying travel itineraries and fares that satisfy a traveler'"'"'s flexible travel requirements. Users may enter data relating to a trip'"'"'s origin and destination as well as various dates the user can travel. The systems and methods locate multiple itineraries that cover the various dates on which the user can travel. The system and methods disclosed herein allow prospective travelers to efficiently identify which itineraries best meet their schedules and budgetary requirements.
74 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method of identifying a plurality of alternate travel itineraries, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a set of flexible travel requirements;
determining all pairs of departure and return dates that satisfy the flexible travel requirements;
identifying and displaying fares for itineraries corresponding to each of the departure and return date pairs. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of searching for travel itineraries comprising the steps of:
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identifying one or more departure dates and one or more return dates, where at least one of said one or more departure date and said one or more return dates comprises a plurality of dates;
identifying a plurality of date pairs each date pair comprising one of said one or more departure dates and one of said one or more return dates;
searching for fares for itineraries corresponding to each date pair; and
displaying said fares. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of displaying fares for a plurality of travel itineraries having alternative travel dates, the method comprising the steps of:
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creating a matrix of rows and columns;
defining date pairs at the intersections of the rows and columns;
listing fares at the intersections of the rows and columns, the fares corresponding to itineraries that include departure and return dates corresponding to the date pair defined by the row and column in which the fare is listed. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A system for searching for and displaying travel itineraries and fares for flexible travel schedules, comprising:
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means for receiving a set of flexible travel requirements;
means for determining all pairs of departure and return dates that satisfy the flexible travel requirements;
search means for identifying itineraries corresponding to said date pairs.
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Specification